The Dangerous Curves Series

Chapter 77

“Hi.” To her relief, her voice was steady and measured, but under the table, she clutched her cell phone hard enough to make her worry about cracking it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” He peeled off his jacket as he sat beside her, exposing tattoos running the length of his massive arms, and she practically climbed the wall to give him enough space on their side of the booth. Now that he was right next to her, she was very aware that this man was too much – much too much. She’d been prepared to admire him from across the room as he drank beer with some friends.

Having him mere inches away from her was not what she’d been expecting, and it was scaring the life out of her.

“So.” She cleared her throat a bit. “Jax and Sarah were just saying that you’re also interested in the art program that I run for adults with autism?”

“Yeah.” King’s voice was all morning-after sexy, even though it was late afternoon, and she idly wondered just how sexy he’d sound in the morning. “I like what you do, a lot. I like the idea that you market and sell their art, and the artists get a significant portion of the earnings. It’s a great way for them to actually develop some financial independence. That’s sadly rare for autistic adults.”

She was surprised. “So you know the program?”

“I do. My niece is in it.”

Naomi stared at him, and he found himself wanting to dive into those dark gray eyes. “She is?”

“Yeah. Callie Winters.”

“Oh.” Naomi smiled now. “Callie’s your niece?”

“My sister’s kid.” King nodded at Aidan behind the bar. “Since going to your center four times a week, her behavior’s done a complete one-eighty. She also earns about seven hundred dollars a month, and has a savings account. She loveshaving her own money. Mostly uses it to buy clothes and makeup – but then again, how’s she any different from most every other twenty-one-year-old female on the planet?”

“Well, she works at it,” Naomi said. “And she’s a talented artist. She deserves every penny.”

“Yeah.” That grin again. “I love her stuff. I have about twenty of her sculptures and pieces of pottery all over my house and office.”

Naomi was about to answer when Aidan brought over a beer, and set it right in front of King. She froze as the smell hit her. She didn’t like beer, but right at this moment, that hardly mattered to her. All she felt was the wave of pure need – a need to drink until all her confusion and insecurity just faded away. If she had a few drinks, she’d be able to talk to Matt Kingston with total confidence, she knew. He wouldn’t scare or intimidate her anymore.

Uh-oh. Dangerous thoughts. Time to get out of here.

King raised the glass to his lips, and she practically licked her own, imagining the taste, the sting, the tang. The slow slide of gorgeous, perfect alcohol down into her body, warming her and reassuring her.

Goddammit. I need to call Mirrie. Like, now.

Matt was between her and the door, and the idea that he could move that mountain of a body seemed impossible. But he’d have to shift, because despite her unruffled appearance, she was f*****g losing it. She pressed the number ‘7’ on the phone hidden in her lap, waited a few seconds, then disconnected. She knew Mirrie was waiting, just in case, and sure enough, her cell rang less than ten seconds later.

Naomi picked up with an apologetic grimace. “I’m so sorry. Is it alright if I take this? Terrible timing, but I was sort of expecting this..."

They all nodded. Sarah drank the last of her Cosmo, King sipped his beer again. Naomi felt her whole body go shaky with want.

She put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Naomi? You need to meet?”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Twenty minutes. Our usual place. Tell them you’ve got to go right now. OK?”

“It’s no problem. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

She disconnected, looked around the table. “I really have to go – it’s kind of an emergency.”

“Everything OK?” Jax asked.

“It will be.”

Matt stood up, offered her his hand. She hesitated before taking it, and when he pulled her across and up, his casual strength awed her. Now that they were standing next to each other, she got the full measure of the man, and quite literally. Even in her smart high heels, her eyes were barely level with that muscular chest. If she stepped forward, her head would be tucked right under his stubble-covered chin. She tried hard to not want to be there.

From his side, King was getting his first full look at Naomi’s body, and good Christ, he was going to look his fill. She wasn’t anything close to his usual type, and he was astonished to find that made him more aware of her charms.

The woman was short – not what he went for, as a rule – but holy f**k, those curves were something else. She was making one hell of an effort to cover them up in that suit, but it was a losing battle. A body like that couldn’t be contained by gold buttons, and severe little jackets, and straight skirts that went past the knee.

King imagined Naomi in a silk sheath, tight and cool on her hot little body, slippery and gossamer-thin. He’d lower the straps with his teeth, watch all the silk just slither right off those glorious breasts. God, he’d love to get his hands on her, to blow past those polite walls she had up, to shatter her reserve.